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Edited on Thu Apr-29-04 04:45 PM by chookie
We rely on health care professionals to advise us on the best way to treat problems, but it doesn't hurt to use one's one judgement in conjunction with their medical advice. Most people just want to take a pill, no matter WHAT the risks it poses, rather than change their lifestyle, even in a simple manner.
Unless your cholesterol is dangerously high, it might not be a bad idea to *try* your alternative treatment, and give it a trial.
Try the 30 day oatmeal regime. That will shave off 5-7 points.
Try Dr Weil's suggestion of injesting 1-2 cloves of raw garlic a day. Chop it up into the size of "pills" and swallow without chewing and there will be no adverse social consequences.
Other stuff: add oat bran into stuff here and there. It will bind to cholesterol, and you will eliminate it rather than store it. Shitake mushrooms are good. Chili peppers and onions and fresh ginger are great. Nice yummy fresh fruit. Drink lots of green tea -- hot or cold (there is an apricot flavored one out there that I LOVE iced). And moderate alcohol -- say, a glass of red wine a day.
(Fresh ginger, onions, and garlic are so powerful an anticoagulant that people with clotting disorders have to avoid them! But in Indian and Chinese "eating for health" cuisines, they are considered the "holy trinity" of foods, which naturally protect the body from those gummy lipids)
Dr Weil also says to give an Indian herb guggulipid a try -- according to him, clinical trials show that it works in a manner similar to pharmaceutical treatments. It's pretty commonly available in health food stores these days.
Is increasing exercise an option? That can help too.
Give it a trial -- say 60 days, and get your blood tested again, and see if it worked for you. If not, well, then maybe you should consider taking the script, again, as a trial for,say, 60 days and see how it worked.
This is my unsolicited, well-meaning advice, for your consideration. Wishing you all the best with your diet!
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